VOA常速英语2007年-West Africa Plays for Time in European Trade Ne

By Naomi Schwarz
Dakar
18 December 2007

West African trade ministers have given themselves another 18 months to negotiate before signing a regional economic partnership¹ with Europe.  But the current trade agreement between Europe and nearly 80 of its former colonies has been declared illegal by the World Trade Organization and is set to expire in two weeks. This could throw many countries in West Africa into disadvantaged trading positions.  Naomi Schwarz has more from Dakar.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held a special meeting on Monday to discuss the next steps in a proposed region-wide trade deal with Europe.

The deal, called an economic partnership agreement, offers lower tariffs² on West African exports to Europe in exchange for lower tariffs on European products sent to West Africa.

The president of the West African economic body's commission, Mohammed Ibn Chambas, says the ministers reaffirmed their decision that the new deal in its current form is unacceptable.

"We believe that the EPA can be an instrument for development and for deepening regional integration³ in West Africa, but it has to be negotiated, taken into account, the development dimension," he said.  "Not just focusing on the trade aspect.  And to have a balanced and development-oriented EPA, we will need some time to conclude a full agreement."

West African leaders say they want another 18 months to negotiate.  They say if Europe can export products to Africa tax-free, then African products will not be able to compete in their own markets.  They say the money they earn from customs fees is a huge part of their national income and that eliminating them could cripple their economies.

West African countries have an agreement with Europe that allows them to charge customs duties on European imports, while Europe charges them low, and sometimes zero, tariffs, but the old trade deal expires in two weeks.

This would hit some countries harder than others.  Ghana, Nigeria and Ivory Coast have the biggest economies in West Africa, so they do not qualify for the special assistance Europe gives the world's least developed nations.

To protect their economies, Ghana and Ivory Coast, the world's top two cocoa exporters, signed interim⁴ deals with the European Union in the last two weeks.

This disappointed some, who worry that country-specific deals will undermine regional negotiations⁵.  Part of the reason the European Union said it would work with regions instead of individual countries was to encourage trade within regions.  Traditionally, the former colonies trade much more with Europe than with each other.

ECOWAS president Chambas says the interim deals with Ghana and Ivory Coast will not weaken regional cooperation.

"I think certainly it was a divisive ploy⁶ on the part of the European Commission, but it has not worked to weaken the solidarity⁷ of the region," he said.  "Our meeting re-emphasized and underscored the solidarity of the region and the determination of all the countries to move within a regional context."

The European Union says it is still committed to negotiating a full deal with West Africa as a region.

A spokesman for the European Union development commission, John Clancy, says the EU worked out these interim deals to ensure trade would not be interrupted when the old deals expire on December 31.

"It became an urgent issue to ensure that with all the countries who are willing to do so and in order to maintain these trade flows that we had a WTO compatible system in place," he explained.  "So what we worked upon was to ensure that there were these interim EPAs to ensure that these trade flows could continue.  And what we have placed within them is a kind of insurance to guarantee the continuation of talks on the regional level to reach these full EPAs through 2008."

The European Union says free trade will help African economies develop in the long run, and says it will provide assistance to offset⁸ short-term problems.

1 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

2 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

3 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

4 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

5 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

6 ploy   

n.花招，手段

参考例句：

• I think this is just a government ploy to deceive the public.我认为这只是政府欺骗公众的手段。
• Christmas should be a time of excitement and wonder,not a cynical marketing ploy.圣诞节应该是兴奋和美妙的时刻，而不该是一种肆无忌惮的营销策略。

7 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

8 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。